If you are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy and considering giving your baby up for adoption, you might be thinking about who will adopt your baby. There are many adoption agencies out there who can help support you through the process, and you may want to consider working with a local agency that can offer you emotional support through this process. If you choose to work with an adoption agency such as Open Arms Adoption Network, you can actually choose the right family for your baby—the one that you feel would give your child the life that you want for him or her. Should you decide to choose a family for your baby, as part of the adoption process, you may be wondering how to go about this, as it feels like a huge decision. There are several things to keep in mind when choosing a family for your baby, and we can help you through the process.
All Types of Adoptive Families
Open Arms Adoption works with all types of prospective adoptive parents. We have families led by two parents, and families led by a single parent. Open Arms has amazing families who are heterosexual, gay and lesbian and transgender all hoping to adopt a baby. Sometimes, women tell us that they specifically want a LGBTQ family to adopt their baby. Other times, birth mothers might be seeking a family who has struggled with fertility issues or maybe they want a two-parent family that is already parenting a child by adoption. There are many options for the type of family you can choose for your baby, and you might want to think about what type of family do you envision for your baby? Your Open Arms Counselor can help you with this as well, if you would like to help to work through and process all of the different options.
What kind of lifestyle do you prefer?
You may have a type of lifestyle in mind for the family that your child will grow up in. Perhaps they live in the city, near museums, parks and near other fun things to do and see. Or, perhaps you might prefer a family who lives in the suburbs, and have a nice big yard for your child to run around in. Maybe the family spends their free time going on hikes and their hobbies include spending time outdoors. Families are all unique and spend their time doing the different things that they enjoy. While these factors might be important to some women, others focus on the type of family and the personality traits of the Adoptive Parents when making the very big decision of choosing a family for their baby. With Open Arms Adoption, you get to be the one to decide what is in the best interest of your unborn child or your newborn baby. As the Birth Mom, this is your decision, and you get the final say in choosing the family to adopt your baby.
What is Most Important to YOU?
Again, different things are important to different people. Some women find education to be really important, and they want a family who lives near great schools, or perhaps a family where one of the parents works at a college. Some women envision their child growing up in a large family, surrounded by lots of siblings, aunts, uncles and other family members who all get together frequently. Meanwhile some Birth Moms prefer that their child be an only child when adopted. And, some women really just want their baby to have a life that they envision for them, but are unable to give them right now. We recognize that this is a very big decision, and are proud to offer you great diversity in our pool of waiting adoptive families. All Open Arms waiting families will love and take care of your child forever, but it is up to you to decide what are the qualities in a family that are most important to you.
Looking at Adoptive Parent Profiles
You are likely wondering HOW you will get to choose a family once you decide you are ready to take the next step. When it comes time to choose a family for your baby, your Open Arms counselor will give you a stack of “Family Profiles” to read through. These profiles are essentially books that waiting adoptive families create about themselves to give you a sense of who they are, and what kind of life they hope to give their future child that they adopt. The books might make you think more about what you are looking for in an adoptive family, and hopefully one or two of the families will stand out to you. Should you have any specific questions about the families you like, your counselor can answer those questions for you.
Can I meet the Adoptive Family I Choose for my baby?
Once you choose a prospective adoptive family, please don’t feel that your decision is set in stone. You still have the opportunity to change your mind before moving forward with adoption. You also can meet the adoptive family of your choice, should you wish to do so. Many women choose to meet the adoptive family of their choice so that they can get to know them and ensure that the family is absolutely who they want to raise their baby. Usually, women tend to feel much better about their adoption plan and their decision after meeting the family. Your Adoption Counselor would be happy to set up an informal get-together so that you can meet the family, with you counselor by your side, and feel confident that you are making the right choice for you baby—you should never feel like your baby is going to a stranger. With Open Adoption, the birth parents have the opportunity to continue to have a relationship with the child’s family, if desired.
If Choosing is too Difficult What if choosing an adoptive family is too difficult?
If choosing a family for your baby feels too emotionally difficult, you absolutely do not have to choose. Very often, women choose to not be involved in selecting a family, and prefer a closed adoption, as the decision feels too painful or emotional. This is completely normal, and not something that you should feel badly about, if this is what you feel is right for you. Open Arms can choose the family that is the best fit for your baby. We can choose the family that has been waiting the longest who is a match for your baby, or, if you like, we are happy to choose a family for your baby based on your specific preferences. This is YOUR adoption plan, and your choice, which we will respect and honor throughout the entire process.
Browse Current Waiting Families
If you would like to read some of Open Arms’ current waiting adoptive family profiles, please visit our Waiting Families page to view sample adoptive parent profiles. Here, you can view a large number of families that are approved, excited and ready to adopt today. Please remember that these are not all of the parents’ profiles available right now, so if you would like to learn about other adoptive families who are not shown online, feel free to contact us.
We are Ready to Support You With Our Resources
If you have questions about adoption, the process, choosing a family, or any other adoption-related topics, please reach out to us. We are here for you, 24/7 and are available by phone, email, text or video chat. Open Arms will support you through the decision-making process and will help you decide what is best for you, without pressure or judgement. Call us at 1-888-OPENARMS or email us at info@openarmsadoption.net to receive counseling or support from an adoption specialist.
